Arc's Rise - Book 1: Memory
by WildCobra
Summary: Slight AU - Arc, shot and near dead, but when he wakes, things start ok, but the everything turns into an insane ride of laughter, pain, love, sorrow, and happiness. The Movaje Desert is no place for simple minded fools, if you wanna live, you have to learn to adapt and go with the flow, if not, well you might as well be Deathclaw chow, but there are worse things than those here...
1. Nothing But A Blur

**~ Here is a Fallout story that will be generated into a set of series, traveling through New Vegas to DC. This series I've kinda wanted to make for awhile, so if you don't like this kind of story, well you'll just have to find a different one that suits your Taste, But For Those That Have Stayed, Hope You Enjoy IT Very Much, Don't Forget To Watch Out On My Profile For My Other Stories And Updates On Them. ~**

***Disclaimer: I Don't Own Anything Within The Fallout Universe, It Belongs To Said Company, Bethesda, And All I Own Are My OC's***

* * *

**_'Nothing But A Blur'_**

The feeling of dizziness, sore aching limbs, bone dry throat, slow but heavy breathing, and the feeling of numbness, as the surroundings around him begin to form from a white blanket into a spinning ceiling fan.

He began to sit up slowly, but a sudden spike of pain rushed into his skull from the slow movement causing him to jolt up quicker, which the throbbing pain seemed to further increase, causing the loose metal bars at the head of the medical bed he was laying in to bump into an old rusty metal chair, just enough to knock it over with a loud thud onto the old wooden floor boards.

He grabbed onto his head seeing that it was becoming a nerve-racking pain, eyes shut tightly, his teeth clenching together, slightly leaning forth while slowly rubbing both sides of his head, attempting to subdue the throbbing pain that didn't seem to stop with no end, which he found frustrating.

_W-were am I and why do I have this pain in my head?!_

He thought the knocking pain would never cease to stop. It felt as a never-ending pain that seemed like hours to him, which was only a few minutes, then suddenly it abruptly stopped, as if there was never any pain as if it never existed.

He flashed his eyes open from the feeling of something small and solid slide out from his neck. He grabbed at his neck, feeling the small glint of warm liquid form in between his palm and his neck, turns his head to his left to see a person old, weathered, and rough-looking in a dirty pair of black overalls with a bandana around his neck. The old man goes to pick up the old metal chair, sets it upright and takes a seat himself in it, while putting the used stimpaks in his hand onto the tray behind the chair he was sitting in, the old man then looks at the confused bewildered man in the bed and gives a small heart-filled laugh.

"Your awake, how 'bout that. . .you've been out cold for a couple of days now," as the old man was speaking to him, he attempts to move out of the old bed feeling the need to stand up and move, but comes to near falling face first in the floor, if not for the old man managing to catch him.

"Woah now, easy there. Easy. Why don't you just relax for a second, get your bearings, let's see what the damage is," the old man sat quietly for few moments before asking "How 'bout your name, can you tell me your name?" the old man asked him.

Still trying to shake off the side effects from suddenly feeling numb and wobbly in his legs, he sat back down onto the bed and rubbed his forehead while trying to remember what his real name was. He could only vaguely remember hearing the name _Arc_ being said a few times it felt like it was directly said to him, but he found that it was the only thing that came to his memory on any names, but better than nothing.

"Arc. . . My name is Arc," the old man started rubbing his index and thumb over his chin, giving Arc an odd look as if he'd spoken another language. After a moment he nodded.

"Huh. . . Can't say that is what I'd pick for you, but if that is your name then that is name, I'm Doc Mitchell welcome to Goodsprings."

_Wait. . . Goodsprings. . . why does that sound familiar?_

Arc began trying to remember how he ending up in his current state in the first place, Doc waited a moment for him to collect his thoughts together, he coughed into his hand regaining Arc's attention from his train of thought.

"Now, I hope you don't mind, but I had to go rooting around there in your noggin to pull all the bits of lead out, I take pride in my needle work, but you'd better tell me if I left anything out-of-place." Doc, reaches under the chair and pulls out a large metal box, or at least Arc thought it was a box, that he didn't notice before and handed it to Arc.

_Lead? My Noggin?. . . Wait he doesn't mean?_

That's when it came back to his memory hard, he was shot in the head, his life was flashing before his eyes, literally, then the darkness consumed him only leaving the last sound he heard that came from the gun that was in front of him going off by a man in a checkered suit, but couldn't place a face on the person nor why he was there left for dead. Arc was slightly wincing in pain from the sudden rush as pieces of his memory came back rushing into him.

Doc had started to stand up, intent on getting another stimpak for him, but Arc waved him back down insisting that he was fine and focused his attention on the device in hands.

Arc slowly inspected the strange metal object and saw it was labeled **_"_****_Reflectron_****_"_** and had a red dial at the bottom of it in the 'off' direction, Arc switched the machine on then the machine whirred up and the right screen displayed, in a low hue of orange lettering, **"Would You Like To Open Reflection Screen?"**, it displayed, As he was going to open it, Arc stopped his hand with a sudden realization that he didn't know if he wanted to see himself in the on screen. He hesitated for a second, thinking on what he would look like with a deformed skull from a bullet wound.

The thought scared him, but he felt that there was really no way around it, he touched the screen on the right answering "Yes," and with that the words dispersed and the bigger display screen to the left cycled up rapidly for a few seconds before slowing and coming to a complete halt.

Arc jolted back, the leaned back forward with a look of surprise and disbelief, he looked perfectly fine, except for a small scar that ran down the top of his right eye ending at the bottom of his eye. The screen had displayed himself from the top of his head to beginning of his collar bone. As he examined himself the right screen came on again in low orange lettering, but this time displaying information to him.

**\- Sex: Male -**

**\- Race: African-American - **

**\- Age: 22 - **

**\- Hair: Terrorsaur (Dark Green) -**

As Arc continued on for a few more moments before turning the machine back off still surprised, but now feeling satisfied. He gave a sigh of relief and looked back towards Doc Mitchell, "Thank you, I really appreciate you saving my life, even if I have only a vague memory of what. . . my life once was." Doc chuckled at his thankfulness.

"Good to see the bullet didn't affect your charm none." Doc waved at Arc, motioning him to stand and needlessly to say he stood up without any problems at all. He rolled his shoulders and stretched out his arms, "Looking good so far, why don't you go on and take a seat on my couch in the next room and we go through a couple of questions? See if your dogs are still barking."

They both went over to the next room with a large very light green couch and at an adjacent angle from it a bright old torn single chair. Arc sat on the couch, which to him felt rather a bit uncomfortable and Doc sat it in the single chair then proceeded to pull out a clip board and a pencil, "I got a form for you to fill out, so I can get a sense of your medical history. Just a formality, ain't like I expect to find you got a family history of getting shot in the head."

He handed Arc the clipboard and pencil, "Right then let's get started then shall we."

Merely a good two hours had passed by after Arc had awoken. After he had filled out the information and being asked a good number of questions Doc had him running and doing some physical test to see that his body was functioning correctly. Doc was finishing up the last of Arc's examination, which to Arc's relief he glad to be finished with them as only had a light sweat from the set of exercises he had done. "Well, that's all she wrote," Arc let out a sigh from mental and somewhat physical exhaustion.

"I don't have nothing to compare it to, so maybe you'd better just have a look at the results. See if it all seems right to you." Arc took the clipboard that, was replaced sheet of paper on it, turns out he has a knack in for survival, guns, and speech with the traits of a **'Fast Shot'** and a **'Good Natured'** person. It seemed a bit odd to Arc seeing how he really didn't know if the results were actually going to help him in the long run, but he decided to just go with it.

He gave the clipboard back to Doc and nodded to him with satisfaction. "Alright, I guess that about does it. Come with me I'll see you out." Arc followed Doc from the living room space through the small hallway stopping at the front door. "Here these are yours. Was all you had on you when you was brought in." Doc gave him an old dirty pack that had pretty good weight on it as he grabbed it from Doc.

"I hope you don't mind but I gave the note a look. I thought it might help me find a next of kin, but it was just something about a platinum chip." The mention of a platinum chip rang a bell to Arc, but he couldn't think anything of it, so he let it slip to the back of his mind for now. Doc reached behind him and pulled out a device unknown to him and handed it over to him. "Well, if you're heading back out there, you ought to have this. They call it a Pip-Boy. I grew up in one of them vaults they made before the war. We all got one." Doc showed Arc on how to use the Pip-Boy. He showed him what each tab on the device was usually used for during the times he had it.

"Ain't much use to me now, but you might want such a thing, after what you been through I know what it's like, having something taken from you. . ." Arc noticed a bit of sadness in Doc's tone the way he said the last part, as if something was still lingering around him, but he decided that its best not to pry in his life, just after Doc saved his very own. "Also you might want to put this on too, so the locals don't pick on you for lacking modesty. Never was much my style anyway."

It took a second for Arc to realize that he wasn't really wearing anything but a skin-tight shirt and white boxer shorts, without hesitation, he accepted the jumpsuit given to him and noticed the number _**'21'**_ printed in a large yellow font on the back of it, guess that was the vault he was from he thought, and put on the new worn out clothing. "Thanks for patching me up, Doc." Showing a light-hearted smile.

"Don't mention it. It's what I'm here for. You should talk to Sunny Smiles before you leave town. She can help you learn to fend for yourself in the desert, but after seeing your results, you might not need it, seeing that it looks like your able to hold your own. She'll likely be at the saloon. I reckon some of the other folks at the saloon might be able to help you out, too. And the metal fella, Victor, who pulled you outta your grave, anyway, you ever get hurt out there, you come right back. I'll fix you up, but try not to get killed anymore." Doc shook his hand and left back down the hallway, leaving Arc on his own.

He put down the pack and checked the contents inside: a digital note chip marked _**'Mojave Express Delivery Order'**_, 8 stimpaks, 342 bottle caps, 12 bobby pins, 5.56mm pistol, the word _**'Luck'**_ Engraved on its hilt, 50 full cylinder ammo cartridges in a ammo container, and a black hatchet with 4 green strokes at the axe's edge reach only halfway diagonally through the metal head and a short leather strap looped through the end of the wooden handle on the axe. Arc then put everything except the gun and hatchet, back into pack and began strapping the hatchet to his waist belt and placing the gun into a weapon holster he found at the bottom of the pack, hoisting it over his shoulder, Arc steadied himself, making his way through the wooden door and to the outside, into the desert Mojave Wasteland.

The first thing that he noticed was the sun blurring his vision for a few moments, similar to the way he awoke but not so intense and with the heat quickly baring down on him. The dry desert air-filled his lungs he took in his surroundings, scanning over the area, he noticed a few decent amount of people tending to plants, and the local small animal herds of bighorners and brahmin.

The jagged black concrete roads slowly eroding with time as the dust blows across the ground and the old decrypted builds in many different shapes and sizes stick out and spread apart from each other. Arc took the moment to think,

_Now, for a plan. . . find Sunny Smiles and get to get something to drink and food to eat, maybe even a place to stay the night, if I'm even that lucky, hell I just might be. Came back from death didn't I?_

Arc laughed inwardly, and set out to begin his current goals.

* * *

**~ Hello new and old viewers! This is a new revised chapter 1 and for those who read it earlier on can see the much improved work in it and a few changed elements in the story that fits in on the latest chapters I've written leave a review on what you think so far. ~**


	2. One Is Enough, Two Is Tough

**Disclaimer: I Don't Own Anything Within The Fallout Universe, It Belongs To Said Company, Bethesda, And All I Own Are My OC's**

* * *

**_'One Is Enough, Two Is Tough'_**

Arc began walking down the hill while he looked over the few buildings he passed, each having no real purpose other than to serve as a purpose of housing except for two other buildings sitting next to each other and another building which by the looks of it was a small school house, but it looked long abandoned with part of the gates surrounding it torn down while the rest stood, rusted and worn down by the passing sands of time, leaning in different directions. As he passed the small school house, he came to a stop. The building that has now had eyes on was the **_'Goodsprings General Store'_** he thought it would probably be a good thing to first start looking for information and to gather up some supplies some supplies while he was at it.

Walking up to the front of the store, he could hear some faint rustling and the sound of shattering glass sound coming from the building next to it, the sounds emanated from one of the windows that was slightly opened, but he paid no mind to it.

He went into the store and was met with a few seconds of a cool breeze that wafted over him, then someone greeted him. "You looking to buy some supplies?" said the man behind a damaged counter.

"Well yeah, maybe some food and drink as well if you have any also could you point me where I can find Sunny Smiles around here?" Arc replied. The man waved Arc over and he followed suit and held out his hand.

"Names Chet, welcome to my humble, yet not so humble store. . . in its current state that is, but it'll suffice for now. Sunny Smiles is the blonde girl in the over at the Saloon next-door, that's usually where she hangs out around if she's not hunting all day with that annoying mutt of hers."

Arc was a little put off by Chet's attitude towards Sunny Smiles, but he had yet to meet her himself. "So, what'cha lookin' for? Besides the food?" Arc held out his pip-boy and went onto his notes list showing Chet the list of things he need that Doc told him what would be useful out in wasteland.

**\- Radaway (10), Rad-X (10), and Med-X (8)- **

Chet, nodded left to the room in the back of the store then returned minutes later with an armful of the things in one hand, and a clipboard in the other. Arc was glad to see Chet had a good stock the things he requested.

Chet set the supplies down on the counter. He started to point and write back and forth between the items and the clipboard, after a few moments of waiting, Chet tapped on the clipboard and wrote down one last thing.

"All of this will bring your total to. . . 300 caps." Arc eyes widened at the amount, "Well, now isn't that something. . ." Arc said, Chet wasn't surprised at all. He just merely grinned at the remark.

_Damn cheap bastard, I really don't think I'll be coming back here anytime soon if the prices for these few things is really that high!_

Arc thought inwardly, but ultimately let out a sigh of defeat, seeing how he wasn't going talk him down to a reasonable price.

Even with that thought he still had a feeling that maybe this was worth the amount in the long run, so he pulled down his bag and pulled out the container with the caps and counted out the amount he owed and handing them over to Chet.

"Well pleasure doing business with, come back anytime." Arc just merely nodded, grabbing the items, placing them into the bag and leaving the store with only 42 caps left.

_Damn, looks like I forgot to consider food. . . maybe I should've bought less to get both. Well now that's not important now, Time to go meet this Sunny Smiles._

Arc made his way towards the Saloon moving around the old prewar bikes towards the door. He let inhaled deeply and let "Well here goes nothing" he pushed open the door to the saloon, but as soon he set one foot inside, he went flying right back out the door, and with nothing to stop his fall, he landed hard on the old wooden walkway losing of his breath on impact. Arc laid down there for a few moments, slightly wheezing and coughing, he groaned and finally caught his breath again, as tried to sit up to see what or whom flew into him.

He felt he his hand on something soft, or someone for that matter. He looked down to see some woman smaller then him, but somehow able to knock him down. He thought for a moment about who this was, but looked down and had realized that his hand on her rear end and she was lying on him with and her head lying flat on his chest.

"Hey, lady you ok there?" he groaned after no response or movement from her, he rolled her off gently and stood up dusting off the some dirt from his clothes he then looked down at her and his breath slightly caught in his throat, she was quite a sight to look at, even if this wasn't the best of moments to even think about this kind of thing about someone who he didn't even know, especially after they just flew into you, but his brain thought otherwise.

She had dark ruby colored hair, skin an unusual dark pale, his eyes began took wonder down over her chest, he couldn't help but look over her body, how her curves shaped nicely through the leather armor even if the armor was an odd sight with two shoulder guards instead of the common single strapped one

_What the hell? I don't think this is the time for this. . . something is wrong with my head. . . most likely a side effect from being shot in the head._

Her eyes were closed, he could see that she was still breathing, chest slowly and steadily rising and falling, but then noticed that there was a small deep gash on her arm.

It was bleeding out a slowly dark red and another running up the length of her forearm stopping at her elbow on her other arm. He gently picked her up and moved her towards the left side of the saloon towards the farthest of the old wooden chairs in front of the saloon window. It provided some cover for her from being shot, or being attacked by whoever caused this inside, but exposing her to the outside desert wilds of the wasteland outside, but it will have to do for now seeing no other option.

Quickly after place her down in the chair, he reminded himself to come back and help the unconscious woman, he looked towards the saloon door moving in quickly, but then coming to an abrupt halt to see inside to see a man, wearing a black full body vest with _**'NCRCF' **_written on the back over a long sleeve blue shirt with the pants to match and black shoes, inside holding down another a woman by her neck bent over on the bar counter. Another man in overalls was on the ground soaking in blood with three bullet holes to his back while his eyes were dull and void of the life that once had shown through them.

The woman's dress covered in blood smudges, ripped at the shoulders, and blood on coming from her mouth and nose. The man had a gun down on her temple, and a blood soaked knife in the other. She was struggling to get loose from under him was she struggled to be loose by jerking and kicking to get free, but then froze when he spoke in a cold harsh tone.

"I'm **DONE** being nice. If You don't hand Ringo over soon, I'm going to get my friends and we're going to have some fun with the lot of you, they've been itchin' to get their hands on some fresh blood, then we'll raze this town to the ground leaving only the smell of burnt flesh and another dead town swept under the dirt of this hell hole wasteland, **GOT IT?!**"

The woman on the bar could do nothing but nod, as she did so, he slowly moved the gun away then gave a swift knee to her stomach. She stumbled over coughing up blood while groaning from another source of added pain. He stood over her, chuckling to himself, he knelt and used the knife to lift her head, starring into her strained soft eyes, then asked "See, that wasn't so hard was it? Now Then, where in this shithole of a town, is he hiding out at, huh?"

The woman was reluctant to answer at first, but he turned the knife so it was now sitting across her throat, which sent her nerves up high. Just as she was about the to answer, she looked away from the man's eye and saw an axe come into view behind him, Arc, unknowingly on instinct, took the axe from his belt and silently walked up behind the man, having had enough of his ruthless brutality that was being or had been inflicted upon people in the bar.

"Hey pal, what's your name?" Arc asked, causing the man jumped up in surprise then regain his composure as he turned and answered Arc, "Joe Cobb, What, we got some kind of a problem?" waving his knife around the scene.

"No, no problem at all, because I already have a solution for it," Cobb scoffed at the reply. "What is that supposed to be some kind of a thr-," Arc didn't give him the time, as he swiftly swung his marked-hand axe down on Cobb's neck ending him with only gurgling coming from his mouth, crimson red blood spewing out of his neck over Arc's jumpsuit, dropping his knife and gun then falling onto the ground.

Cobb struggled while choking on his blood, trying to grab at his neck to stop the bleeding, but it there wasn't anything he could do but struggle and soon his struggles ceased. Cobb's arms dropped to the wood floor board and his eyes dimmed out staring into nothingness, now he was just another corpse for the wastes to take.

Arc stepped over Cobb's body to woman on the floor, "You alright there?" he offered his hand to the woman on the ground, at first she didn't take his hand, but he reassured her he wasn't going to harm her at all, after a moment she accepting his offer of help.

When she had finally managed to stand up fully she spat out more blood, while attempting to rearrange her dress, and wiped off the near dried and fresh blood, only some of it swept off most of it smudged in, but she was more concerned about who this person was then her ruined dress.

"Thanks for saving my ass just then, names Trudy, looks like this town just got itself dragged into the middle of something we shouldn't have anything to do with."

Arc turned around and gripped onto the axe handle, freeing it from Joe Cobb's blood stained body with a wet squelch, shaking the fresh crimson from it and giving it a few test spins, he tied the axe's strap back to his side, then turned around back to Trudy.

"Nice to make your acquaintance Trudy, names Arc. So. . . .I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that this Joe person over here, I just killed, isn't the only person looking for this Ringo guy is he?" Trudy looked at Arc, now seeing he wasn't involved with the now dead Joe Cobb, and let the slow sadden smile show the crept from her lips.

"Yeah, 'bout a week ago, Ringo, comes into town. Survivor of an attack on his caravan, he says. Bad men were searching after him and he needed a place to hide. We figured he was just in shock, which shows just how wrong we were, so we gave him a place to lie low for a while. We really didn't actually expect anyone to show up and come here looking for him."

He was slightly confused by that and wanted to find out more on the situation from Ringo himself. "Where is this Ringo guy now?" Trudy hesitated for a second, but then answered "He's holed up at the abandoned gas station up the hill, near Doc's house." That's when he remembered

_ Oh, right, almost forgot check back on the other girl. _

Turning quickly on his feet he made his way towards the saloon door without another word to Trudy, but as he was about to leave she stopped him. "Wait. Look. I'm grateful for your help and all, but this town needs someone like you now. Cobb's crew, the Powder Gangers as they are known around these parts of the waste, after they took over the prison, knows that he came up here looking for Ringo and now that he is dead. . . they'll suspect something isn't right. . . If he's a no-show. . . They'll be comin' here lookin' for blood."

Arc started rubbing his chin in thought for a minute before nodding to Trudy, "Alright, then, but I can't defend this town on my own, what just happened there was on instinct and luck, and I couldn't stand watching what he was doing."

He paused for a moment and came up with another plan of action, "If what you say is true, then you need to get as many people as you can that can fight, get some cover setup at the front of the saloon, and send someone to come find me if they come sooner than forty minutes."

Trudy, let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding, now relived that he wasn't just going to leave them to their fate of unknown torture and death.

Arc reminded Trudy forty minutes to get any able bodies as a defense against an assault on the town, Arc was then out the saloon door, but then paused remembering the injured girl, looking over to his left to see that she is just the way he left her, except that she wasn't. . . she was gone, with only a small dripping blood trail in the dirt terrain turning off toward the direction he originally came from.

Arc began to panic a little, putting blame on himself for not thinking more clearly and wondering what had happen to her, even though he didn't know the girl he still blamed himself for not taking more caution in making sure that it there were no potential threats around. Arc pushed back that thought of fault and began to follow the blood trail with a quickened pace.

He found that the trail had moved up towards the gas station Trudy told him where Ringo was holding up at, hiding away from the Powder Gangers.

The blood trail ended at the door leading inside the gas station, there he stopped and heard muffled yelling, clanging of metal falling to the ground, then a shot went off inside the building, then a long silence swept by for a moment, then turned into the sound of shuffling.

Arc made his way towards the door, he reached for the door knob, but it came towards him, then out in the middle of the doorway, out came a woman and the other person bleeding from shoulder, to which Arc could only assume was Ringo and the fact that his head was down, over her shoulders being dragged, Arc started to move towards her, but then heard the pullback of the gun in her right hand aimed right on him. He looked at them and saw it was the same woman who flew into him. She bore right into him with hard bright yellow eyes the face of a scowl daring him to make the wrong move.

"Who. . . .the fuck. . . .are you!?"

* * *

**~Yeah Chapter 2, Finally Out, If Anyone Was Confused On The Armor Description For Her, She's Wearing The Wander's Armor From Fallout 3!, There Clears It Up, Hope You Enjoyed As Much I Enjoyed Writing It, Also Looking May Be Looking For Beta Reade For This Story To Correct The Grammar Mistakes I've Probably Made, Will Let You Know When. Good Day!~**

**~~As of 3/3/15, Chapter 2 and it's fully revised. trying to add much more realism to it, and it is a better read then it was previously! Drop a review and let me know what you think! ~~  
**


	3. High Tension

**~ Welcome To Chapter 3, Nothing Really Much To Say, Except for after the story. Reviews Would Be Much Appreciated, But None The Less Enjoy The Story! As For Disclaimers: **

**~ I Don't Own Any Part Of The Fallout Universe, Just My OC's ~**

* * *

_**'High Tension'**_

"You have until I reach to five, start talking!" Arc was dumbfounded. He just stood there like a kid finding the **_'#1 issue of Grognak the_ _Barbarian.' _**shaking he head, he needed to think carefully "What? A night stalker got your tongue?! Three seconds!" Now able to think clearly, Arc reach for his axe slowly with his other hand up in the air, she only showed a face with anger and distrust, but made no move seeing she had the upper hand still watching his movement closely. He untied the leather strap that held it onto the right sight of his vault suit loop. After unstrapping the leather tie he tossed it in front of him onto the ground and kicked towards her. The weapon skidded across the dirt and sand then onto broken concrete, the few remains of it that hasn't eroded away with time from the gas station, landing near her feet.

Next he started to move for his gun, but she halted him. "Don't you even think about it! Turn around slowly with your back facing me, with both your hands up, then start walking back towards me. . . slowly until I say stop." Arc found it to be uneasy having his back to another wielding a gun, but, rather than take his chances he did as she said. Arc was just a mere few inches away from barrel of the gun before she told him to stop.

"Don't Move," she dropped Ringo down of her good arm and shoulder onto the ground. Ringo landed flat on his face still unconscious.

_That's going to feel sore as hell when he wakes up in the morning. . . if he's lives to another _

she thought, but came distracted at her wounds, especially in her right arm where she recently received a deep cut onto her forearm, nearly deep enough to punch through the bone, it still was bleeding along with the feeling of it burning and stinging profoundly she winced at the pain that shot in her through her, but the small distraction made her drop her guard which came to be one she now came to regret.

Arc didn't think if hearing her with a sudden pain sound would work in his favor or not, but he went with it any way. Quickly took the opportunity and spun around then darted forward for the gun she tried to pull back up to aim at his chest, but she was a second late as he smacked the barrel of the gun up, keeping her from taking a lethal shot up at close range, while kicking his axe out of way. Arc grabbed at both her wrists with one hand with a good grip and shoved her back into the door of the station pinning both arms over her head.

* * *

She clenched her teeth wincing at the pain that shot into her lower back from the force of being shoved directly into the door's handle. After the pain in her back dulled away, she then started yelling out number of words that would make a supermutant think twice before attempting to do anything. She was trying to pry his hands off her wrist from the solid grip around her wrist, but the pain that felt like her wrists were going to break was becoming more painful by the moment as it began to run down her arms, feeling the pain of it more down her deeply wounded arm. She looked up at her arms over her head then stopped her frantic kicking finally realizing that he wasn't letting go even as she thrashed around, she wasn't going anywhere.

She looked directly at him now and saw that he wasn't smiling like a Raider ready to have his _"Fun" _with her like most of them do or a Legionnaire getting ready to use her a his _"Tool"_ whether it was as a target dummy, a punching bag, or a pack brahmin, it was just a. . . blank stare no emotion showed. Eyes dark and green, nearly matching the color of the leafs on trees that where still alive, just blankly staring back at her as if waiting or studying for her next move. Her eyes began to snake their way down, taking in his dark toned skin, the scar running down over his right eye, the mohawk that donned on his head, that usually female raiders or fiends she had come across would have, but it somehow seemed to fit him, it was even was taller than most terrorsaurs. To her in any other given situation, she would've thought about him being attractive.

_What the hell? _She quickly crushed the last thought that just came, she returned her focus and but, seeing how she couldn't get out she let out a huffed breath and spoke in a defeated anger.

"Well, either get it over with already or let me go so I can end this!" Arc was puzzled at that remark.

"Get it over with? You think I'm here to kill you?" Now it was her turn to become surprised to his remark as well, but still didn't believe what she just heard.

"Why else would you be here huh? You, that scumbag Joe Cobb, and the rest of your psychotic gang, going around terrorizing people along the roads and taking what isn't yours not giving a shit who you hurt!" she attempted to knee him, but in the state of her condition, it was futile as her knee was stopped by his free hand. He squeezed down with more force on her wrist, while placing his knee between her legs pushing her up. As she was hoisted up with his hand still on her wrist, she let out a pained yelp she felt her arm trickle down with more blood and the adrenaline in her starting to wane down on her. Then he brought her back slightly down to his eye level then leaned in closer to her with a calm, but now agitated face.

"Look here, I don't want to hurt you and I'm not really the person who goes straight fighting people without reason, but I don't go around fitting in anyone with a low-life degenerate like that to a person who just happen to save their life while taking care of pest like that."

Stunned and unable to speak again she was at a loss for words. They didn't move at all from the way they were currently in, until coughing caught their attention.

_Dam it! He's starting to wake up and now if he tries run again were screwed, this WHOLE town is screwed! _She wanted to finish what she started, but he had her pinned and it was all she could do at the moment, think about how they'd be in deep trouble if he managed to somehow escape.

Arc merely turned his head to the side to find Ringo barely managing to set himself upright spitting out dirt and blood while his eyes where barley open. "W-where the hell am I?" Ringo attempted to stand up using his arms, but fell back down grabbing at his left shoulder remembering why it was bleeding.

"Karma. . . Karma where in . . . the hell am I. . . you crazy bitch huh?!" Ringo was out like a light again, this time from his own accord.

_How has this guy survived out here this long?_ Arc thought, but he'd ponder onto it later as he heard Karma, which he found out her name from the now again unconscious Ringo, let out a breath of relief. He turned back to her and he could feel her slightly tense her body up, she still was staring at him with a determined face. He stared at her for a few more moments then slowly began to loosen his hold on her and move his knee from up under her, when she was finally let go he went and picked up his axe, tying the strap back on, then spoke calmly while walking over to Ringo and hiking him over his shoulder.

"Now that I've go Ringo, I need to hide him." Turning fully to her, "So, while I'm doing that I need you to go get patched up at Doc's place, something quick that will able you to help fight off the Powder Gangers, then get down to the bar and help Trudy with the defenses she's setting up, I'll be there shortly." With that Arc turned back around and started to jog off down the hill and vanished behind a few old buildings past the school.

Karma just stood there hit mentally with a brick wall baffled at what she was told to do and the fact the the Powder Gangers are headed here! _*What the hell happened while I out!* _She shook her head and was forced to listen to his advice, now feeling fatigued from the ordeal from both Ringo and the stranger she didn't know.

_Defend the town?! What in Abraham's name happened?! Why was there never anyone like him in DC?. . . Wait what the hell am I thinking! Clear head Karma, new task - defend town then have a 'Chat' with that. . . asshole! _

With that she cradled her right arm and began walking off towards Doc Mitchell's place to see about her wounds.

* * *

The town was ready as they could ever be ready for the scrimmage. The townsfolk were mainly armed with 10mm pistols and few even with hunting rifles. Karma had her wounds bandaged up to the best they could be, also given a few stimpak shots to help heal the wounds while having her own arsenal ready at hand, A hunting shotgun, 3 spears, and a 10mm submachine gun.

Everyone ready as they can be waited for any sign of the Powder Gangers, but after a long while they were only meet with the silence of the desert wind blowing and they occasional tumble weed moving about.

Some folk became rather impatient, wanting to return to their homes seeing that this might be a fluke to them, but Trudy, Karma and a few others weren't about going to back down now since the town had been informed of the ordeal that took place in the bar earlier. As the time went by, the sun still slowly, but surely, rising up into the sky. A few people had started to begin arguing with the each other that the whole thing a nothing but a mere fluke becoming more eager to leave back to their homes, that is until an explosion went off past the rusted water tower legs behind a small building not far from in front of them. The building then again exploded with a huge gaping hole that could be seen through both ends of it with also the roof nearly blown entirely off.

As the debris, of sizes large and small, flew everywhere from the second explosion, one person was down holding onto life by a thread from a warped piece of wood, that was now sizzling from the heat, pierced right through his chest. Another person near Trudy, lay dead with his skull crushed skull by an old concrete chunk that soared high through the air land right on him.

People ducked undercover as there were panicking and shouting at each other, Trudy trying to keep everyone in order and calm, all except Karma. She kept her cool and zoned out the commotion, keeping a steady finger of the trigger of her submachine gun, eyes waiting for movement behind the cloud of dirt and debris.

"START SHOOTING! NOW!" Arc came running through the blown through building, followed closely behind by a dog and two other women one of them he had been told to find was Sunny Smiles and another in an old prewar dress with an apron draped over it and boots. She had bruises and cuts on her head. They were running out of the cloud of debris. Arc had his axe and gun in both hand, blood dripping from his right hand and axe, Everyone was speechless, even Karma was lost was lost for words, but as Arc's small group reached up to the make-shift defenses, Arc became puzzled and annoyed by everyone wasn't shooting.

"What in the hell, are you people deaf!? Why isn't anybody shooting!?"As soon as he said that screams, howls, murderous laughs, and a high rugged voice came from the same torn building.

"Well boys looks like we're having some fun tonight!" then out came a large group of men came pouring out and from around the building.

Arc just remained in facing the townsfolk and his back towards the group of men that continued their antics of insults, howling, yelling, laughs, some even whistling and grabbing at their junk while eying towards some of the women they could visibly spot. The some of the townsfolk were still as statues, few were shaking nervously and sweat beating off of them clear as day.

The rest who weren't unmoved by their antics stood behind their defenses and kept their guns ready, pointed at the rowdy group of men. Among the group of people who were ready were Karma, Trudy, and Sunny and they were more than ready to fight, but Karma became distracted again, not by her wounds, but by Arc and the blank state she noticed he went into again. Karma found it strange and somehow. . . alien to her some odd reason but then he turned around towards the Powder Gangers and gave them a warning, "Now that you've chased us here and see that we weren't playing any games, It be best for you to just turn around don't come back messing with good people that don't want any trouble." He shouted to them.

They just merely laughed at Arc's warning and one of them shouted back at him "You think we give two brahmin shits about these people? You think we'll just walk on out here and let you get away with killing 3 of our guys?! Well you _buddy, _have another thing coming to you as soon as Cobb comes out here."

Arc shook his head turned back to the bar only saying, "Well, that's were your wrong." silence eroded over the people of Goodsprings while the Powder Ganges only had confused looks on their faces with audible scoffs, laughs and grunts. Neither of the two groups made a move against each other, only waiting to see what who was going to jump the gun first, and it seemed Arc was doing just that. The sound of wood being scrapped upon could be heard by both parties. As Arc's body came into view Trudy went wide-eyed and let out a small gasp catching the attention of Karma and Sunny. The shocked faces they both had as they turned towards the saloon entrance while their eyes looked as if they were ready to pop out when they saw exactly what Arc was doing, and who he was dragging out leaving a blood trail to the outside.

_Please, I beg those who are watching us now. . . please don't tell me that is_ Cobb!? As he came out of the saloon, her hope was shot down as she could see that it was indeed Cobb, dead. _ Is he an idiot!? He's going to get this town slaughtered! _Karma thought.

Arc lifted Cobb's lifeless body onto his shoulder, some of his blood that didn't dry up over his neck dripped down onto Arc's vault suit as he walked past the shocked townsfolk. He then hurled his bleeding body into the dirt path across from the Powder Gangers. The person with gruff voice speaking for them moved forward, he wasn't a very pretty sight to look at as he had a full faced beard, but no hair on his head and scars to go along with it. Soon after a few others up to the body, as they finally approached, they looked down, and to their dismay, it was Cobb. They became silent seeing that it was now Cobb, dead, with a huge deep gash on his neck.

Their now new leader, seeing that the former lies dead in front of them, began huffing and grunting his breath in a savage manner, each rapidly becoming shorter than the next until turned into a full blown rage of howling anger, the rest of his group following suit some even started to laugh viciously knowing what it to happen next.

He brandished his weapon, a sharp rusted machete, pointed at Arc and the people behind him. "KILL THEM, AND BRING ME HIS DAMN SKULL**!**" He bellowed with anger at the top of his lungs the Powder Gangers yelled in unison, brandishing their various weapons and charged at the townsfolk.

Arc slightly turned his head nodding, as he remove his own weapon, his axe only, and charged himself. Karma and Trudy both in unison gave the townsfolk the order "FIRE!" Now the fight for Goodsprings began.

* * *

**~ Sorry for the slow updates had writers block and this chapter might be shorter then the others, but wanted to give something to read and hey I'm kinda getting the hang of the lower case words and the next chapter will include the EPIC BATTLE OF GOODSPRINGS! Also There Will Be Longer Chapters After This One And With Good Details, Also If Anyone Has Any Extra Ideas Or Things They Don't See In Some Fallout Stories, I'm Open To Suggestions. Chapter 4 Will Be Out Soon! Hope you enjoyed! ~**

**~Revised: (3/3/15) Enjoy and leave a review! :)~**


	4. Scent of Blood & Death

**~ Well. . .due to few, I'll actually make an attempt to stop with the capitalization of each word(s), even though It'll kill me a little inside, I'll manage and I will most likely begin to start doing 1st and 3rd person the best I can to switch up the feeling/rise of the story without getting everyone confused. Anyway, I know It's short, but I need to give you guys something to read, explanation at the bottom, but without further delay enjoy the story! ~ **

**Disclaimer: Ah you know which is mine. . .right?**

* * *

**_'Scent of Blood &amp; Death__'_**

The sound of guns firing, dynamite exploding, and pained screaming mixed with the scent of fresh blood and gun powder dawned on anyone in or coming into Goodsprings.

The townsfolk had a decent foothold keeping most of the escaped convicts at bay, but a few managed to fully charge through and slip through the hail of gunfire. One of the few who broke through their lines had managed to see a person standing alone, a farmhand from which he could tell, in front of one of their, now destroyed, defenses firing away at the other convicts across from him.

The convict was a few inches shorter than the lone shooter, but that didn't stop him as he barreled right into him at his gut causing the farmhand defender to yelp in surprise and drop his gun. As they both landed into the dirt, they scrambled and rolled around try to throw stray punches trying to fight each other off to get the upper hand, but the short convict managed to overpower him and land a few good blows to the others face. The man shot up quickly, flipped the man over onto his back then pulled out his machete and started hacking away at him.

The farmhand was relentlessly chopped away at his back screaming at the top of his lungs, but the sound of other laughing and yelling from the convicts and gunshots all around so happen to mix in with the sounds. The man thought that if he turned over and tried to move away as quick as he could he would be able to get away, but he was sorely wrong and that was what ended him.

The farmhand threw his elbow behind him and it landed right into the convicts ribs, but it was short lived. As he turned over onto his back, with the added pain of open gashes on his back touching the dirt, The convict stood up as he turned over and sent his boot right into his face as soon as the man fully turned over and continued chopping away at his chest with his machete in hand as it was forming and pulling up coats of red without the slightest care in the world of his pain.

Another that had no hair what on his face or head anywhere managed to get by the fire, but some had been able to still hit with a few bullets in his shoulder and leg, but the high adrenaline in him keep pushing until he was behind their lines. He quickly sought out a person to cut down in his wake and went after an old man shooting a revolver at the other convicts still in front of them. The old man barely noticed the kitchen knife, if not for its reflection from the sun on it at the last second.

The old man smiled and quickly made short work of the convict as he took a step backwards dodging the convicts knife, grabbed the back of his bald head then slamming his face into the wooden makeshift defense, causing the convict's face to bleed quickly from his now swollen busted lips and partially broken nose, while falling backwards to the ground dropping his knife in the process. The downed convict grabbed at his face from the pain. "Aaahh! You'll pay for that you stupid old fuc-", the old man shot him right between the eyes before he could even finish his sentence.

"Don't think it's so easy to sneak up and kill off ol' Easy Pete ya hear!" he laughed, but then duck undercover after a bullet whizzed by him.

Trudy was struggling to wrestle her hunting rifle free from the last of the few who broke through, he had the same appearance as his, now dead, friend but this one had the most muscle and bulk on him, of the few who broke through. How anyone could've missed shooting him was just terrible and insane she thought still struggling to take back hold of her gun.

He was smiling with a wicked grin and chuckling while looking down on her bruised face with excitement having to barely even struggle with her small arms trying to pry free her weapon from him.

Keeping a tight grip on the gun with his left hand, he grabbed Trudy's neck with his right and started squeezing down on her throat while pushing her down towards the ground onto her knees.

Trudy instantly let her grip go of the gun and grabbed at her neck trying to pry his grip from her neck, but it only made him put more pressure on her neck. She started panicking struggling to get the vice grip he hand on her neck off but then started gasping desperately for air but the strength in her began to dwindle down and she was being cut off from the air her lungs where desperately burning for while her vision started to become a blur. This strength in her wasn't much since from her earlier ordeal with Joe Cobb she especially didn't have time to actually fully treat herself.

Her eyes were slowly closing, becoming heavier as her surrounding turned into nothing but darkness and seeing that the last thing her eyes would see was bulky man still grinning as he was taking the life from her, but she was suddenly able to breathe in the much-needed air as his grip finally lost hold of her neck. She started coughing and greedily began breathing in air into her lungs. Her sight began to recover quickly, she looked up and saw the man who was strangling her had now lost smile and his eyes became dull then slowly his body began to slump down towards her.

She moved out of the way the of the huge falling convict and noticed the weapon that saved her life twice in one day was deeply embedded into the middle of his back.

The shorter convict to first get behind their defense took note that some of the townsfolk had started to take aim at him, seeing that he was the only one left after paused his relentless hacking on another unlucky person, but quickly saw that his chance of survival was very thin. Moving quickly he spotted his last person he aimed to take down, seeing that he wasn't going to get out of this alive as he let a vicious smile slowly creep up around his face.

He stood on his feet, letting out his battle-raged cry, and charged forward. The few who weren't firing at the convicts across from them now focused their attention behind them and fired on the charging convict. He was being hit by every other bullet, but still keep pressing on despite the bullets hitting him but it was short lived as he didn't even get close though as he was sent flying back hard into the ground as a spear had punched through his chest and out his back.

Karma had sent her spear into the now dead convict which was the second to last one she had used, aside from the first one that had went across to the other into one of the other Powder Gangers. She took hold of her last spear and picked up her hunting shotgun, hoisting it over onto her back gun holster, then bolted past their makeshift defenses towards the Powder Gangers on the other side, seeing that their gunfire and come down to a few potshots, due to their lack ammunition.

_T__ime to pull one from the old book, Run-N-Gun! _Karma thought as she ran out from behind cover, running straight across the dirt path road between the groups and onto the other side.

Time had seem to slow down some for Karma as she aimed her spear at the farthest one and threw it as hard as she could causing her arms to scream with pain again seeing how the stimpak didn't full take over yet, but adrenaline took hold and made the pain subdue down some for now.

As she landed, the spear hit, right into the gangs wood-be sniper's lower stomach sending him flying with the spear that stuck up in an angle, killing him instantly. Still moving quickly she slung her shotgun from around her back, then with speed unknown to them, dispatch three more of the of the convicts with ease.

"Already people, let's take the rest of this trash out!" she yelled to the people, some who were shocked by her sudden charge into the fray, behind their holdings. One by one the all began to yell and cheer and moved together towards the now cowering powder gangers, still keeping the fire on the gang of convicts.

* * *

**Arc's P.O.V**

After helping Trudy off the ground, again, I moved over to the convict's body and pulled the axe out from his back. Seeing the colors of light and dark red blood meshing together, pouring out on both sides of his body. As more poured out I took a closer look and saw that the impact directly severed his spinal cord in half. _Well that's going to hurt in the morning . . . oh wait, he's dead. . . well serves people like him right._

Giving the axe a few spins I tied it back to the side of the belt holster stood up, looked down back to Trudy and gave her a smile which she returned herself. Now I would've gone and finished cleaning up with the rest of the people of Goodsprings to finish off the rest of what remained of the powder gangers, but that is until I heard grunts of pain mixed with harsh rasped coughing._*Why in the hell can't things just be simple.*_

I looked back down to see that the convict I thought was surely dead, due to the damage that had went in deep enough to even sever the middle of his spine, when much to my surprise still the huge bastard was still kickin', although without the actual kicking.

Seeing that the now he was disabled, he wouldn't be able to be going anywhere any time soon, I decided to see if I could get some information from the big guy. I grabbed his left shoulder and flip him on his back, which he let out a groan of pain, but I didn't see the mercy in people who seemed to take pleasure in causing pain and grief in others just for the fun of it.

"Alright big fella', I need some answers, seeing that you aren't going to be getting up anytime soon or anytime at all it seems, where are the rest of you low-life idiots hiding so I can kick the shit out of whoever is leading you scumbags and where could I find a man in a checkered suit around in this hell hole?" I asked, but all I received from him was smirk then a mouthful of blood mixed with saliva and dirt.

Seeing that this was going to get annoying real fast with me getting nowhere, I wiped the gunk from my face, then gave him two hard punches to his face causing more blood to spew out from his nose and mouth. He attempted to grab at me to return his own hits, but I just merely swatted away his arms then gave him few more hits breaking his nose in the process.

"Now next time, I'm not going to hit you, I'm just going to end you for good this time by dragging you and dumping you out into the wastes leaving you with only a butter knife as for a weapon as the radscorpions make dinner out crippled body as your eaten alive. Now. . .let's try this one more damn time, tell me what I want to know. . .NOW!" I said making my point clear, but I also realized what I just said.

_Ok, maybe I wouldn't even be able to do that, they'd probably come after me first anyway as well, trying to get two birds with on stone._ The image now becoming clear as day in my head as it sent a shiver up my spine.

The convict spoke with of fear of that thought telling me everything he knew, seeing that wouldn't be a pretty site to see, much less be in. Apparently they were all spread out and around the prison they were held up in, which they also have control over as well, how the NCR thought giving a bunch of prisoners dynamite would be a good idea, was just idiotic.

A man in a checkered suit was also spotted heading down to the town of Primm, with a group of people known as "Khans" with him, just a few miles south of here, that's where I would first start looking for him and figure out for why I was put in that situation.

Now that I had what I wanted, I just stood up, pulled out my revolver walking to the rest of the townsfolk to finish off the last remnants of the gang, waved behind me to Trudy who was watching the brief interrogation "He's all yours." After a mere few seconds I heard the kickback of her rifle and the convict trying to plea to her not to shot him, but that didn't help. She pulled the trigger and I merely shrugged and kept on my way determined on my next plan of action, but I still felt like I needed more information.

* * *

The after a while last of remaining the Powder Gangers who put up a last stand were killed, but they still managed to injure a few more of the townsfolk, as well killing one off one more, that were forced into a close combat fight against them with their hand weapons when they ran out of bullets.

A few sobs could be heard from a few of the townsfolk who were still alive, but they were mixed tears of joy and pain of beating of the powder gangers and to the ones that didn't survive the entire fight. Karma stood next to Sunny, who was petting her dog Cheyenne, looking over the still bodies of the convicts.

The small skirmish was new to Sunny, she'd never been involved in fights like this. Seeing the shocked look over her face after she looked over the after math, she's never seen nor been in this kind of fight other than with the common gecko running amok or the occasional radscorpion messing around the town's water lines ready to end the problem with a few good shots in the creatures, but was still taken and grateful that she managed to survive the ordeal.

Karma though, she was unaffected by the carnage that took place, after years of wandering the wastes, moving from place to place, fighting against from the savagely ruthless Raiders who pillage, rape, and murder just out of boredom to unforgiving relentless Slavers who hold no qualms in any pain they inflict on the ones they capture or born into slavery. Getting use things like this was unnervingly easy for her, she always remembered it but it's what you had to do now, if you wanted to survive to see the next day of light.

This was only a skirmish between a rowdy wannabe gang of escaped prisoners against town full of good folk, but out other parts of the waste, bigger gangs, formed military, mercenaries, slavers, raiders, mutant creatures all raged against each other in many battles from small to large, but that that's just how the world works instead of how it used to be 200 years ago before the nukes were fired by countries at war between each other because of idiotic politics some things just don't change.

Because out here in the wastes, War. . . War never changes.

* * *

**~ Sorry, for the long wait yes I promised the next chapters to be a long one, but I got caught up in my between some filming and looking for another job, I haven't uploaded as soon as I wanted to, but I promise you this time chapter 5 is long with Arc's journey beginning out of Goodsprings and into the waste and it'll be uploaded sooner then this one was, also I've noticed I'm getting quite the views, but no Reviews, so I would really some reviews whether they are bad or good it would be good to hear some feedback on the story and not how the Letters In Each Word Are Capitalized xD so please I ask of you kind hearted people, who take the time out to read my story to give meh some reviews, if you do, you'll get cookies and orange juice, no, no milk -_- ~  
**

**~Revised: (3/3/15) My writing has improved much better as you can see right? Don't forget to leave a review, Cobra out!~**


	5. A Dark Sorrow

**~ Dear readers, if there still are *sniffle*, the reason due to my absence is because of my computer had deiced to 'Malfunction' so it took me awhile to get it fixed and back into working condition seeing how i got a few PMs' awhile ago about when the next chapters are coming continue the story and i couldn't at the moment but, yay its's here now! Chapter 5, deiced to make this part way from the long chapter so you actually have something to read, but it's still continuing on with the Arc's journey, nothing else really, other hope you guys had good holidays! Also for those of you who are reading my halo story, It's going to be behind for a while so I can actually right the the story out and split it up into chapters. Other then that there in nothing else to say. Reviews would be much appreciated Enjoy! ~**

***Disclaimer: Look here I will send a Deathclaw to your house if you don't know whats what already***

* * *

**'_A Dark Sorrow__'_**

The battered and exhausted folks of Goodsprings around the town were slowly cleaning up the small ravaged battlefield. Some began scavenging through the bodies of their attackers feeling little to no sympathy for the rowdy group of convicts. Only anger, pain, and hate on their face, others that didn't scavenge cleaned up the burnt derbies from dynamite explosions and began carrying the few who didn't make it through up towards the graveyard to lest them to rest with a few prayers and farewells.

Trudy and Sunny where helping Easy Pete and other locals remove and dismantle the makeshift defenses they had sent up in front of the saloon. Some of the makeshift defenses still stood in decent condition besides a few mere bullet holes that had been through them, but another set didn't seem to be anything of worth as it was riddled with either bullet holes or blown away from dynamite explosion.

The townsfolk that were injured with minor or serious wounds where sent or carried up to Doc Mitchell's place, which did end up filling up the entire his entire place, except for his single-seat chair which he used since he had offered his own bed up to his injured patients.

Everyone else had their minds focused on their task at hand, except Arc. After seeing that people where more focused on their task at hand he had been able to quietly walk off back around the blown through building he had ran through earlier towards an old shack, just on the southern edge of the small town. As he approached the shack, he let out uneasy breath. Just as he placed his hand on the door handle and pull it open, the pump of a gun directly behind him made him freeze in his steps.

Arc mentally cursed himself for not making sure he wasn't being followed, he steadily turned around to see the barrel of a shotgun, which had been pointed in between his shoulders blades, was now aimed between his neck and collarbone. He looked up from the gun and let out a small grunt towards the person pointing it up at him_. . . Karma._

* * *

**Arc's P.O.V.**

The stand still silence between us was filled with an aura of anxiety of nerves on edge, mainly from me seeing how I was the one stuck between the barrel of her gun and a metal door behind me. _Stuck between a gun and a hard place. . . fate really has a cruel sense of humor doesn't it? _He thought. She didn't make any movement for the moment, only stared at me with those, unsettling bright yellow eyes and a scowl on her face as if she stepped in something putrid.

After of her staring, maybe trying to talk to her would do best for both parties.

But then again, that could also lead to my certain death as well. . . better make the best of this situation.

Mustering up the courage the best I could, started in a calm manner, "Now, I don't know how you managed to go about and get the drop on me, but I'm impressed." I actually couldn't help but let small smirk show, but that did little as her eye twitched and now the gun came to full contact on my collarbone with a good amount of force pressing down as well, that is when I knew I was walking on thin ice here, "Okay, okay, take it easy now. No more witty remarks from me." I assured her, but that did little to comfort her as I only felt the gun slightly press down more. "Is there something you want from me?" Arc asked calmly keeping the nervous feeling I felt out of my voice. Even though I think I know what she's after, or who to say. "Where. . . where is Ringo?" she spoke with cold sting in her voice still with her gun still bearing down on me.

I scratched the side of head having being correct about what she was going to ask. Thinking for a moment started to wonder on whether or not it would be a good idea to have her around him. "I don't know if that's a good idea, especially after seeing that you're the one put a bullet through his shoulder."

Stating my point, of the earlier altercation. Karma slightly shrugged at the thought "He thought I was going to give him to them those low life scumbags, then he started to swing at me with a knife, managed to wrestle it from him, then I shoot him, didn't kill him. So now I'll ask again. Where the hell is Ringo?!"

I became curious, why was Ringo so important to her? And the way she said it seemed a tad bit off, so I decided to press the matter. "Why does he matter to you so much?" She didn't give me an answer she just stood there as the scowl on her face scowl turned into anger. "Well, wh-"

"It's none of your damn business! This is something personal, so all that matters is that you tell me where Ringo is and stay the hell out of my way!" Karma's short outburst made me to flinch and she pushed the gun down with more visible force, showing that she was stronger than she actually looked

Well...that's a lost cause, wait, maybe a different approach could work, she might even know who wear's checkered suit out here in these waste, but then again. . . I still have this gun on me, which is really starting to hurt bit.

"OK, fine then, seeing that this is very important to you how about we make a deal?" I hope that this plan would work and that wasn't going to try to gun me down right then and there. She went into thought for a moment she looked as if she was going to put down the gun, but suddenly she push the shotgun's barrel down harder in between his neck, right onto my trachea, nearly causing me to choke, but then she said what I was hoping to hear, "What KIND of deal?!" she said putting sharp edged tone in her voice.

"If I let you see Ringo," I managed to croaked out "You tell me. . . what you know about a man in a checkered. . . suit and these other people known as Khans?"

The sudden question caught Karma off guard. Slowly she pull let her gun sling down to her side with a baffled and confused look on her face. Arc started to rubbing the middle of his neck, letting out an uneasy breath. Her expression changed from surprise and shock, to a stern glare, which answered his question right of the bat. "Since the look on your face pretty much confirms you do know who I'm talking about, I'll let you see Ringo, but when you come back out I'll be expecting some answers."

Karma only muffled her words as he pointed to the building behind him. She took a minute to breath, which confused Arc even more as to way she was doing it, then walked past him without uttering another word as she shut the door behind her into the old rusted shack.

An hour pass since she had gone in. No sounds had emanated from the shack, not even the sounds of shuffling or hushed whispers. Arc decided to sit down and wait for her rather than have to walk all the way back from the saloon. The weather had started to blow a slight breeze towards the west, cooling down the desert heat just a bit, but not by much. Seeing how there wasn't much to do but wait, he looked down to see if he could pick anything up from the radio on his Pipboy. As he turned on the machine attached to his wrist, a song had begun to play which the radio host called it _Blue Moon_. He found the song enjoyable and it to put him in a calm state of mind.

He was staring off into space for no real reason, then he found the idea of reminiscing through his mind, to see if he could bring up the lost memories. Arc was thinking and searching his mind the best he could, to see if he could remember anything specific. He racked at his brain seeking out objects or people that didn't come to him as a blur, but to no avail nothing came back to him. As time was still moving his eyes grew heavier and the light around him had begun to fade away into dark spots. Realizing that he was becoming more tired by the minute, he yawned, rubbed his eyes, and then looked back towards the shack

Maybe I could catch a few moments of rest, this day has been. . . kind of tiring, but I still need to find out where that bastard went.

Arc slowly stood up feeling the ever more tired doing so, he trudged himself to the front of the shack door and grabbed on to the handle and was about to open it until her heard the soft sounds of quiet sobbing and thought about why was she crying. Instead of just barging in like he planned to, he decided to knock instead not wanting to risk the chance of getting shot at.

"Hey, it's going to get pretty dark out here soon. . . mind coming out here for a moment?" trying to keep his words as non-threatening as possible when he asked after knocking on the metal door, a few seconds went by and she answered back "Um, yeah just uh. . . give me a second."

Arc nodded to himself, now satisfied with that he'll be getting some answers soon he stepped over to the right of the door and sat up against the wall and waited, again, for Karma to come out of the shack.

He checked his Pip-Boy for the fifth time about a good few hours had gone by as the sun had just began to go into its sunset stage.

_Time flies by doesn't it? Or maybe this thing needs to be fixed, it was noon earlier. . . must've dosed off by accident. . . ah forget it. I'll get checked out anyway when I able to do so._ He let a sigh out as the feeling of exhaustion came and waned over him.

Time seemed to last forever, but his exhaustion was increasing ever more and he felt like he could just sleep right then and there on the cooling dirt ground. It was winning over his body, slowly bringing him down towards the ground, but just as he was about to let it win him over and settle for a dirt nap, some of his energy came rushing back to into him as he finally saw the shack's metal door open.

_Oh, finally! Thank you wasteland gods! _Raising his hands in ominous praise, but when he stood back up from his hunching from to his full height and looked over to his right he saw Karma, covered in fresh wet blood. It had covered over nearly the entire length of her arms and her face had been splatter with it. Some of it even partially covered her neck and parts of her body.

Her eyes were completely blood-shot red, with tears running down the side of her face. Once she fully stepped outside, she stared straight ahead out at nothing in particular.

_What the hell?!_ Was All he could think with a look of shock on his face, but what really took him into more of a shocked state was that she had a sad and shallow smile appear on her face and softly spoke, "I'm sorry. . .I-I. . .couldn't save you Gina, Jet. . .I'm so sorry" She turned to Arc, "I'm sorry." she said to him before her irises turned back to their original yellow color and the rest of her eye turned back to its normal white. She then fell onto on knee then fainted falling down towards the ground, but Arc quickly caught her.

A tiny part of him began to panic again for some reason, but he waved it off and shook her slightly, "Karma? What the hell happ-," The words where taken right from his mouth as soon as he looked into the open shack doorway. There in the middle of the shack, lying dead, Ringo or what was left of him. He was covered in blood with his jaw hanging open as if he was screaming, but you wouldn't be able to tell it was Ringo himself anymore, since his face and entire body had been mutilated.

Flesh and skin were torn crudely from his face as pieces of him lay on the floor around his body, some in smooth sliced cuts, other parts looked torn while leaving his the sensitive flesh of the right side of his face exposed to the air to rot, dripping with blood. His chest embedded with a large jagged knife which had sliced through the middle of his chest, which sported out his broken ribs, some attached together. Ringo's left leg had been completely cut as if it was being cut in half, but never went all the way through and his right leg had a deep gash all the way down to his knee.

Then he wondered how or why he didn't yell or scream for help at all then he noticed his neck. There was a large cut it in, precisely right in the middle of his throat, but still raggedly cut. Arc couldn't tell why for a moment, then realized that his vocal chords must have been cut which would be why he didn't his screams for help.

"What the hell made her go this far, to such. . .degree." He turned and looked back to Karma. He stared at her, still baffled by her actions, and now he knew that this was something big. "Now I now this damn waste is going to be hell to get through if there are people who'd go to extreme measures to do _this_ kind of shit."

* * *

**~ Yo! Be sure to check out my profile to check out the up and coming stories and coming up and if I stop writing for any reason It'll be posted there! Please do review, all are excepted! Enjoy your day! ~**


	6. Fated Memories

**~ Hello dear readers! (Sorry had MAJOR writer's block) Welcome to another chapter in Memory. This is a pretty lengthy chapter and I hope to keep it this long from now on that why you guys have more to read and enjoy from this story. Also for those who have more ideas or suggestions etc... please send me a pm and we can talk about whether it would be a good idea for them to be in the story or who :) For now enjoy the story, and don't forget to check out the note at the bottom. Also I've gone back and updated some the chapters keeping them spaced out so it won't be so hard to read or lose place, and fix grammar errors in them. Also if you don't know some place(s) or character(s), Keep Calm And Google It ;). Enjoy Chapter 6!~**

**Disclaimer****: Nothing but my OC(s) for this story, everything else belongs to Bethesda &amp; Co.**

**[ Speaking In Thought; * And ****_Italicized_****]**

**[Places/Misc; " And ****_Italicized]_**

**[Displayed Words/ Letters/Notes/Info; - And/Or Bold]**

* * *

**_'Fated Memory'_**

**3rd Person P.O.V.**

Goodsprings had some it's welcoming joyful folk attitude taken from them, but not by much. Their friendly welcoming demeanor that welcomed venturing wastlanders with open arms into a town of cautiousness and vigilantes. Arc had went around the small town trying to help and apologize to them for bringing trouble.

Chet was more or less concerned about the town, just glad that his store hadn't been blown to smithereens which Arc scowled at him inwardly. Chet's thinking made Arc feel a bit of annoyance with him. He went on to help Trudy clean up her saloon, which to his surprise Trudy insisted that she felt it was her fault for feeling weak and helpless, but Arc reassured her that she wasn't weak and she did what was she could do best at the moment. Trudy walked up put her arms around him with her head to his chest, hugging him and thanking him for his kindness for helping keep in trying people in Goodsprings alive. Arc was felt awkward from her gesture, but he knew she meant it with kindness.

He felt a wet streams go down his vault suit, looking down at her, he saw that she was smiling as well letting tears stream down her face. A small smile appeared on his face and he wrapped his right arm around her and returned the hug back. After they finished cleaning up the place Trudy asked if there was anything she could do to repay for saving her life. Arc thought about it, but nothing could come to mind at the moment, so merely he told her just to keep a watchful eye out, to which she nodded and said he needed to make right with what he's done wrong with the others and left to make amends.

Just outside, in front of the saloon, Sunny was sitting in a chair wiping down her hunting rifle with Cheyenne resting in front of feet. She was in a cautious state of mind now and she wasn't going to let the the recent incident repeat twice, not while she breathed and held a weapon in her hand. Arc stepped out of the place and she looked up to him as he looked down to her. They merely started at each other for a few moments before she was the first to break contact. He was still looking down at her unsure if he should say something, but no words were needed. Sunny had tapped twice onto the wood of her rifle, followed by Cheyenne's grunting, with a nod. Arc patted on her shoulder and walked off going person to person, in the town, apologizing.

Most of the them accepted his apology, but a few hand full were to angered or saddened by the few would never see again and they blamed it on him or Ringo, claiming if they just told victor to leave him for dead in they grave and never took Ringo in, then maybe all of this could've been avoided. Arc felt it was his fault and felt content to redeem himself anyway he could, but they wanted nothing to do with him and asked him to stay away from them and their families.

He did just that seeing how they felt the grief and pain, he apologized one last time before turning away back to where he was staying.

Only a day had gone by since then, Arc hadn't even left the town yet find his answers, yet the only reason why was because of Karma. She hasn't awoken yet since coming out of the shack leaving only a now dead Ringo tied against a post and then passing out, which annoyed him even more as he ran his hand over his head again patiently sitting in an old metal chair right across from where she was laying on the mattress.

After picking her up and carrying her to get checked out by Doc Mitchell, again, he couldn't look at her at the moment so he told Arc to take her to one of the town houses across from the saloon. He had carried her inside the town house and set her down on one of the beds that weren't occupied. He looked over her still seeing that she was covered blood that had dried on her arms and face while some of it had started to mesh with her together with her own hair.

Arc hadn't thought on any ideas on how to get her to cleaned off and come to since Doc still had his handful himself, and hasn't really had time to come and do a full check-up on her so he sat there rubbing his chin thinking with having only two liable options in mind.

_*Ok so I can either, A. . . get her cleaned up myself, risking the possibility of her waking up to someone no to her liking, cleaning her up and possibly ending up with the same fate as Ringo. ._ .*

A chill shot up the back of his spine causing him to shiver at the thought.

*O_r option B. . . I can go to the bar and ask simply ask Trudy and Sunny to do it and saving my skin in the process. . .*_After a few minute of weighing between the two options and came down to a decision as he stood up and walked out of the town house.

He took the second option simply because he feel it as the right thing to do, that and he also opted to keep his skin intact the way it is now. As he went out side, he looked up, viewing the night sky for a moment as it was as clear as day with the distant stars shimmering above.

The air was at a cooled temperature that most wished for the heated days in the Mojave. Arc finally reached the saloon, walked to make this quick to avoid any awkward talk, but as he went inside he was instantly put on edge with tight grips on his pistol and the hand axe.

Trudy was sprawled on the floor out cold, but still alive seeing her back rise and fall slowly. Sunny was standing in front of Trudy gripping tightly onto a pool stick causing he knuckles to turn white and her dog, Cheyenne, growling and sending hostile barks to another dog across from her. The person standing in front them was another another woman in a pink two strapped dress and a large metal collar around her neck that seemed a bit odd for a person to run around with a heavy thing like that on their neck with her hands on her hips.

She had company as well which was another dog similar to Cheyenne, but it was a male with a slight bigger build and his fur was lighter then Cheyenne's. They weren't the two who put him on edge. There, stood a ghoul, who was unusually taller and had more mass then the common ghoul or feral ghoul, but he had a neutral look about him, even dressed in full leather armor with a shotgun that was visibly strapped to his back, he didn't give a hostile vibe though something told Arc it would be best if he just tried to keep calm state away from this guy.

Arc didn't see why the supermutant with them was in the bar, let alone around humans and not trying to butcher them. He stood over everyone wearing a torn blue vault suit, mainly shirt part torn in the front exposing his breathing audible as his hulking mass rose up and down with each breath. Arc had fully brandished his weapons and pulled back the hammer on his pistol. The sound had gained the attention of the group, "Sunny, what the hell is going on?" he said in a nervous calm tone.

Sunny turned her head back towards Arc and to his surprise Sunny's nose was bleeding, but her face dawned the expression of a focused anger. She opened her mouth to speak but the women in the pink dress spoke up first. "Well, now why don't you let sweet little Clover explain huh?" the woman named Clover said then point at Arc, his weapons mainly. "Without with all the bloodshed of course."

"If your asking me to lower my weapons, I'll be damned if that'll happen. The last time a stranger came through here, things. . . things didn't end well for them and now more walk through here, hence you and I really, **REALLY**, don't like the situation I'm seeing right now." Arc let out a quick breath and finished, "You'd better have a good explanation as to why my friend here is on the ground. Pick your words carefully." he spat the last few words with a cold tone. Clover let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders.

"Ok, big boy." she chuckled then started slow pacing back and forth. "See, we traveled these wastelands for quite sometime now, just to find our. . . dearly beloved friends because. . ." she stopped pacing, looking spaced out for a few seconds, ran her hand through her hair with a smile plastered clear as day on her face, and finished off with something that sparked a small amount of rage within Arc's body.

"Well the reason doesn't really concern the likes of you, but seeing that you look like you've traveled a lot, even from a vault I can see. So you could have possibly saw them. . . have you ever heard of or seen people with the names of Ringo or Karma?"

Arc had given it away all to easy as Clover's face light up even more confirming her guess. "Oh honey, is something wrong you seem a little, angry" he narrowed his eyes. The sarcasm in her voice fueling the small fire within him. _*Not again, I'm not going to have this happ-* _His thoughts had faded away as wood had splintered and flew out everywhere from the pool stick Sunny was holding a moment ago.

Now broke in half, she had aim for Clover's skull, swinging hard, but the supermutant was quicker as he moved quicker then her swing taking the blow against his left arm, then instantly Grabbed her throat and lifting her slowly in the air above him. Sunny kicked and squirmed to get out his grip, but it was futile. Cheyenne gave a ferocious bark, seeing her owner was in trouble jumped at him, but she was down on her back as the other dog and her down on her back with his jaw clamped over her neck keeping her down, but not killing her, while his paws kept weight on her.

Clover's demeanor wasn't moved at all, except for the ghoul getting ready, who removed his shotgun from the holster behind his back and placed it on the pool table then cracked his knuckles, pulling out a large combat knife from his right thigh, then grounded his feet down onto the floor. That was a bad sign anyone could see coming a mile away. The was only sounds of Sunny straining to get out of the mutant's grip, the whimpers of Cheyenne and Clover who was chuckling again.

"Uh uh uh, see If you'd just listen first darlin' and heard what I had to say then maybe we could've avoided this little predicament that where in now, right?" Clover said to Sunny who struggling to get out, but was dangling helplessly within the supermutant's giant grip. "Now my dear boy, would you care to listen now, or are we going to have to do this the hard way?" now Clover had a wolf's grin on her face, but she was a bit thrown off by the way he was looking at them. . .no emotion.

Arc wasn't listening anymore gone into his blank state again, his mind now moving on instinct. He put his pistol back into his holster, spun his axe around once, looked straight at the ghoul with no emotion to express and simply charged at him.

* * *

_"Please! I'll do anything, just. . . don't hurt them. . .take me! Take me instead!" she begged and begged, hoping no harm to come to them, for them to leave her life now, life would be empty, a shallow shell of what use to be and she didn't wish that nor did she want it. A rough hand grabbed onto a handful of her hair, yanking her up with a pained yelp to meet eyes of dark hatred and sorrow. They were a deep red crimson staring down to her with no hint of remorse, just cold and calculating._

_A voice called out "**GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF HER!**" the shouting continued with death threats and harsh words, but was ened until it was drowned out by the sounds of stomping and kicking with the sound of a few bones crack.  
_

_ Laughter and jeers surrounded her, then pain struck against her head, as if she was hit by something hard as a rock, doubling over hitting the cool ground, but another struck against her head as a warm stream slowly descended down the right side of her head. The laughter continued as darkness closed in around her with the looming threat of unconsciousness slowly waning over her mind. Struggling to get up to her knees, straining to keep her eyes open, but it was futile she fall back down on to her stomach feeling the strength fading away until call her name "Karma! Karma come on now stay with me. Focus on my voice and just look at me." the voice strained out in pain.  
_

_She focused searching for the voice with a ringing pain in her head and the loud yelling and laughter, until she found it and looked towards the person with heavy eyes "Look at me, just look at me!" The voice cried out to her "'It's ok, everything will be alright ok. No matter what happens you do not give up, you keep moving like you always have and you don't give up." the voice said, but then it turned into grunts and screams of pain. "Please. . . stop. . .leave them be." her voice in a strained whisper was all she could mange to plea out for their safety. She couldn't do anything as someone forced her up off the ground to her knees and she saw the same eyes and another person she'd seen before, but couldn't place a name on him, they both were staring down at her until she heard the person with red eyes speak, "Take them to the west, they'll meet you about half way and take them from you, just take your pay and move along. But if I **EVER **catch around me or my men after the stunt you pulled. . . your life is mine, Ringo." _

_Nothing but a cold hostile tone came through his voice , but now she could place a face to the familiar person. Ringo, nothing but hate and anger came when she thought of the name she wanted to help the ones she cared for, to end them all, but was unable to do anything but listen to their moans and pain-filled cries. "I-I understand, but what about her. . . can't take her with you she'll break out the first chance." Ringo said to the to stranger. "Yes. . . we can't can we, but we can put her for a nice long nap. . . six feet under of course" A wicked grin grew on their face intensifying the red eye filled with nothing but evil.  
_

_Though they bore down into her own, they where the last pair she'd see as a voice screamed "**NO!**" and the blackness finally took over as her eyes shut with the last images of eyes red, red as blood._

Karma shot up from where she was laying, her head aching in pain while she felt her entire body covered in cold sweat. She looked down to see looked down to see that her hands, legs, and body where covered in dried blood mixed with dirt and grime, and she smelt awful.

She was going to go and see if she could do something about getting this gunk cleaned off of her until she felt her stomach growl. _*Great I Need to get this mess cleaned off and I need food as well what a wonderful. . .wait, where the hell am I?!* _

She thought to herself for a moment finally realizing she wasn't in a familiar place. It was dark in the space she couldn't see directly in front of her in so she looked to her Pip-Boy and turned on the area light. As the light flicked on, not everything lit up but enough to find that she wasn't alone, to which a small yelp escaped her, trying to keep calm. A giant hulking figure stood up from leaning against the far wall and walked towards the bed. Karma started to panic, as she shot straight up onto the bed now standing in a defensive stance as it came closer.

As It came into view Karma was became shocked and stunned, it was a supermutant, but instead jumping off to kill it, she jumped off and hugged him. He let out a laugh patting on her back. "It's good to see you again, my friend." he told her. Karma was laughing and bursting in tears, but at the same time she now became slightly angry. "Fawkes! what are you doing here you damn fool!" she asked him after letting go and wiping away the few tears that came.

"Well. . .Ya see. . . " Fawkes scratched the side of his head, "Um, I came with your friends seeing how I had nothing holding me back in the ruins and as w-"

"Friends?! Huh, Who?!" She asked cutting him off

"It was girl in the pink frilly dress, with white hair, the tiny dog and the tall ghoul."

Karma figured out who the ghoul was, Charon of course, she figured that he'd eventually get tired of waiting in megaton since he did tell her _"I don't want you straying to far, I don't want to have to haul back a the dead body of my last contractor knowing I wasn't able to protect her." _She knew that Charon really didn't want her running off so far, especially since she held his contract, the tiny dog she figured it was Dogmeat, but was in no way tiny, to her at least. The last person was the only one who didn't come immediately to her mind. Who was the girl with the frilly pink dress? She went on tapping on her chin, thinking for a moment, then it hit her. "Fawkes, did this girl have a big metal collar around her neck?"

"Yes." he said bluntly, as if it where a minor thing. Karma wasn't all too excited, but she knew there was only one girl who would walk around with a slave collar on her neck as if it were high fashion. _*Oh boy, Clover is here.* _She thought with a bit of sarcasm.

"Where are they she asked?" curious and somewhat nervous about their whereabouts, Charon would be fine he never bothered anyone unless someone attempted to kill him or his contractor so he was less likely to bug anyone, but Clover,she was kind of a loose cannon on the other hand. Clover had a mean attitude, around most people when she was sober she would be mischievous and sly, tricking or convincing most people into getting the things she wanted and how she wanted them, but some not without consequence. Then when she was drunk off her ass, she'd get into bed with any man who had the largest amount of caps whenever she and Karma went into well populated areas like Megaton or Rivet City, but the next day they'd end up dead or near death so a lot of people some how suddenly became poor when she was around.

"They sleeping against the wall, all four of them."Fawkes said yet again in his blunt mood killing manner. She was about to hop off the bed to until she just caught onto what he said. "Wait, you only said you came with three of them? Who's this fourth person?"

"That's what I was hopping you could tell me, friend." Fawkes moved out the way, Karma got down from the bed back onto ground level and approached the still group. As she got close she looked at them and she became more shocked then before. All of them where injured save Dogmeat of course since he was slightly grunting in his sleep. Charon had badges wrapped around his torso and right arm his upper armor sitting next him. Clover, who sat in the middle had the least amount of damage only a patch to her forehead and a few bandages wrapped around her left forearm and wrist. When she looked over to the last person on her right she saw that it was Arc, the person who had, man-handled her to which she slightly flushed with embarrassment as that was her first thought looking at him, and he helped save the town, but he had an entire bandage covering both his arms as his vault armor selves had been torn off at the shoulder's seams and part of the left side of his neck. Her heart rate had started to increase into a rapid pace. She turned on her heels quickly facing Fawkes.

"What the hell happened! Why are they like that!" She nearly yelled causing Dogmeat to look up and see that his owner had finally woke up. Fawkes was about to explain as Dogmeat came up next to Karma, after stretching, getting a joyful scratch behind the ears, until the sound of the door to the building they where in opened, a two pairs of feet and tapping could be heard as the came closer to the room.

"Well, well look whose wake from their short seasoned hibernation." Trudy spoke as she entered the room followed by Sunny and her dog Cheyenne to which Karma's surprise Cheyenne and Dogmeat began to growl at each other until Sunny called Cheyenne off. Karma noticed that Sunny had her right bandaged as they walked into the room. "Okay what the actual hell is going on?! What happened while I was out?!"

Sunny rummaged through a bag she brought in with her and pulled out a box of sugar bombs, a bottle purified water, a can of Pork N' Beans, and a spoon, handing them over to Karma. "Here, you might wanna get something in your stomach first, this is gonna take a minute." Trudy had went near walked into the near dark corner and turned on a light that light up the room, making everyone visible.

Karma looked at Fawkes who merely nodded to her and went back to his spot leaning against the wall. She looked down at the items given to her, letting out a tired sigh _* I really hope this doesn't sound too bad* _She thought inwardly but Fawkes, had to open his giant mouth. "Oh and there happened to be a disagreement, between us." As both Cheyenne and Dogmeat barked. Karma her still grimy hand to her forehead rubbing her temples, guessing that this was probably going to be an annoyance.

_*. . .Why me?*_

* * *

**~ Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the other ones. On that note, I would really love to see more reviews to reflect on how well I'm doing with this story, It would really help for some insight, and I don't know if it's doing well or not If I don't have any insight, so tell me what you think about it so far. Also I am thinking about looking for possible Alpha N Beta readers to help out with grammar errors and to make the story have as much possible depth and 'Pop'. Still thinking on the idea but if your interested just pm me even if it's an idea I'll respond as quick as I can and on a last note I've got the details ready for about close to another one of my other stories I listed on my profile. Take a look if your interested, But can YOU guess what it's gonna be (o_O)? Yes? No? Maybe So? If you get it right you might get a significant role into it! Hope you all have a pleasant rest of the Morning/Noon/Afternoon/Evening/Night. Good Day! ~**


	7. Don't Blink

**~No Please Wait! Before, BEFORE, you start pelting me for being so unholy late, please read all the way through then read the chapter and the bottom note. So now here is the long waited chapter 7 folks!~**

* * *

_**"Don't Blink"**_

**Karma P.O.V.  
**

After Karma had eaten her fill of food, Trudy had taken here up to Sunny's home for a long and much need hot bath, which Sunny was kind enough let her use hers. As she stepped into the tub of steaming water and letting it accumulate with her dried, blood-covered skin she took a moment to think about the recent events that have occurred as she her whole body sat fully in the tub as she let her head lull back against the back of the tub and her arms hang over the sides and closed her eyes. She savored the sweet tingling sensation of the water soaking into the pores of her skin, relaxing her sore screaming muscles and aching bones.

First she was put into a situation at the bar with Cob managing to catch her on the jaw thanks to the wooden floor being slipper due to freshly spilled blood on the wooden floor. Next she was then squashed of her pride after being manhandled by that, _man_ and Ringo slipped from her grasp for a moment. Then the whole shoot-out with the Powder Gangers against the town, happened then once that was over she set herself on her original target, Ringo.

She remembered what she did, she remember the pain. . . she remembered his pain.

But as much as she wanted to take in the pleasure and pain in his voiceless pleas, she just couldn't, she couldn't bring her self down to their mental level, to the way of their thinking. Karma stopped thinking about it all together and refocus her mindset to a different subject, the one she awoke to, why were the people she knew in DC here and what the hell happened between them and... _That guy_ she thought with anger. The man she currently wanted to strangle to death, she considered him being a thorn in her side even with the short recent events, she still had an unnerving feeling about him, and at the same time she wanted answers. She sat her self up some still remaining in the tub, pulled her arms into view and looked at her writs. They the knife wounds on her arms healed up nicely thanks to some uneventful resting time, there was only a small scar on her right arm now and a sizable scar running down from her elbow on her left, they felt much better, but still remained slightly numb.

She then looked at her wrist remembering the vice-grip that he held on her arms unwavering under her powerless struggles of flailing. She started to narrow her eyes as more anger was rising started to rise up in her, but she shook her head and dropped the entire thing for that moment, and only focusing on herself now, it was rare you get the chance to truly relax in this desolated hell of a planet now, and she took at almost every rare and fully took advantage of it's perks.

After a full hour of scrubbing the dirt and grime off her she got out of the tub, looking back at the now murky brownish water, she was revealed that she now felt fully clean as well feeling like a new part of herself had come up and shined through. _That, that was heaven, to bad I have to go back to hell... _

Karma dried herself off, as well as dried off her Pipboy even though it was basically built to be life-proof piece of equipment, she still took care of it to the best of her ability, she still was liked to keep it in tip-top shape in case she needed it in emergency situations.

Once she was satisfied with its condition, she started putting on a pair of underwear and clothes that were already neatly folded and laid out for her on the small drawer that was in the bathroom. She quickly put on the seemingly clean bra and panties, she didn't mind the few specks tiny dots on them, seeing as to how they would soon be covered in dirty and sweat as well. Once she was done putting them on, she put on a grey worn out t-shirt and a pair of black run-down cargo pants and her own pair of combat boots.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She felt much better and relived to the fact that the dank smell had been washed off and her hair returned back to its normal coloration. The clothes were snug not tightly wrapping around her body like leather clothing would, why or how anyone wears that get-up in a wasteland such as this she'll never understand. She wiped away a single strand of hair from her sight and sighed. Now she had to confront her friends and the one she was currently spitting, Arc.

* * *

**3rd Person P.O.V.**

Arc, Charon, and Clover had finally awoken. When they did come to Charon and Arc went right each other. They wanted to kill the other, but they didn't even come close to one another as their wounds reminded them of their painful bout hours ago. So Charon and Arc started throwing insults and talking back to each other.

"You lizard-licking, smooth skin junky, As soon as I find the place I need to heal up, I'm putting two rounds in your kneecaps then well see who can move faster!" Charon spat.

"Oh, I'm sorry, its not my fault that a smooth skinned kicked a walking dead guys ass. Is he gonna cry huh?" Arc retorted with a snide.

"I'll put my boot down your throat if you _'think'_ you can handle me, you pansy ass smooth-skin."

"Oh I know I can take you, just look a you, compared to me." He pointed at Charon's bandages then to himself. "I think we both know who'd win ten out of ten, you only got lucky cause of your big ass friend over there." Arc boasted as he pointed over to Fawkes, who wasn't at all give them the slightest of attention as he was more occupied with Dogmeat and Cheyenne who seemed to now get along.

"Ha ha ha... If you'd think you can go toe-to-toe with me bub, you've completely lost your marbles." Charon smirked only causing Arc to scoff at the gesture.

"Well, lets go settle this no-"

"For the Pete's sake, would you blubbering idiots just shut up already!" Sunny shouted at them. They both looked at her like she was some kind of alien, but with one last look from the both of them, their faces expressing a _'We'll finish this later' _look, they both sat back up against the wall in silence.

Trudy had escorted Karma to Sunny's place then was to head back to the Saloon, not wanting to leave it unattended to, so she left Sunny in charge of keeping the peace in her place until Karma could come back after she was done. "Look, just as I don't like the situation you two need to relax and wait. Bickering little girls isn't going to help anyone right now, so lets all just calm down and wait for Karma to come back, well sort this whole mess out then you two can kill each other. Got it?" For a moment there was nothing but quiet as everyone now looked at Sunny who was now slightly embarrassed at how she had told everyone to calm themselves, but she held her ground and kept her wights about her.

Clover pulled out a cigarette from the box that was strapped to her right leg as well a few matches. She place it between the right hand of her index and middle finger, brought it up to her lips and lit it up. She let out a cloud of smoke, looking relaxed as well as somewhat pained. Likely from the wounds inflicted on her left arm.

"Aright girly... We'll keep to ourselves, for now." Clover looked towards Charon who understood the silent message. Arc didn't understand what it meant, but they were now looking as if they were resting as they laid back against the well in silence.

Eventually no one said another word on the matter, but the tension was still there, they all knew it. After sitting, moving about and not talking to each other for about a good hour or two the front door opened. Dogmeat, who was laying next to Fawkes, sniffed the air and perked his ears up. He quickly stood on all fours and ran out the room and to the front door.

"Hey boy. You missed me didn't you." Karma's voice had broke the silence. Sunny was glad that she came back and now she was going to get some answers. Clover and Charon stood up as she entered the room with Dogmeat in tow behind her wagging his tail happily. "I see the party hasn't started just yet." Karma said jokingly looking at Clover and Charon. "I'm just glad now that I don't have to drag back the body of my last contractor." Charon cracked back. Karma smiled. "I'm just glad I won't be bored anymore, especially when I have my favorite gal is by me." Clover, Karma was pleased to see her, but then again she wasn't too happy as well, because of their _'history' _back in DC.

"Glad to see you too Clover." Karma said as she walked up hugging her for a brief moment as Arc then stood up himself having to use the wall to support him up off the ground until his injuries healed.

"Great, the whole gang is here, now if you don't mi- OHHFF!" Arc dropped to one knee grabbing at his stomach. Karma didn't even bother listening as she walked up to him while he was trying to get up and threw a stronger right punch into his abdomen. Arc began coughing from the sudden force of pain. If he had paid attention, then maybe he could've avoided it or stopped, but it was too late for that now as she next sent her booted foot right into his chest pinning him against the wall.

"Gaaahh!" Arc was stronger then this, but in his current state he couldn't really do anything since Charon with the aid of Fawkes really did a number on him though he wouldn't admit that to anyone ever. "What...t-the hell is your problem!" Arc grunted as he manged to get her left leg off his chest and breath for a second, but it was swiftly replaced with her right leg. "What's my problem? What is MY problem?!" Oh, um... let's see, my problem is YOU!" She pushed more force onto his chest causing him to grunt in pain and grip at her leg. Arc tried to squeeze down on her leg, but his arms were shaky and the pain from his chest and stomach weren't helping.

_Goddamn it! This is the second time I've had my back to this crazy chick! _Arc had thought back to the moment were she had got the drop on him. He thought it was luck, but now he's growing to hate having his back against the wall. "Karma, if you wouldn't mind, It'd be nice if you'd let him go and handle this like decent people, don't you think?" Karma turned to Sunny who was looking at her with a pleading look. As much as she wanted to curb-stomp the mess of Arc, it was the fact that Sunny had been kind to her so she figured she repay it back by taking her advice. Karma lifted her boot off of him backing away from him to the sides of her well-known companions.

Sunny let out a relieved breath of air after thinking for a moment that she was going to try to end the poor man that literally saved helped save the town. Karma had actually listened to her though and that was good for her, she didn't think she could handle another out of hand situation for a while. _Time to get things into order. _Sunny clasped her hands together and asked for Karma to kindly explain the situation of who her friends were and how she had been in that state.

"...I don't think that would be a great idea, not explaining who they are, just..." She looked down at her hands in a shocked state of mind. She started opening and closing her fist as they now seemed unknown to her.

Was it, no, would it be a good idea to tell them? Why she was out here? Why she did what she had done to Ringo and how it was possible?... No.. she just couldn't tell them. Strangers at that. They'd wouldn't see why she out here doing this. So she'd decided to keep them out of the loop.

"Sunny, prick," to which she was referring to Arc as his response was a scornful glare "I'd like for you to meet my friends." She said pointing to all of them. The supermutant was the first to speak up as he stood to his full height.

"Fawkes is my name, It is good to see more humans that don't cower in fear or attack when they see someone like me." Fawkes spoke. Then next stood the ghoul "Names Charon, that's all you need to know." Charon spoke in a rude bluntful manner . If it was anyone else, he most likely would've said the same thing, but since he didn't like Arc and didn't know who the blonde girl was, he wasn't about give them anything on him.

_Yeah, way to introduce your self Charon _Karma said to her self and rolled her eyes at Charon. She then pointed over to Clover who had now finished her cigarette stomping it out on the old carpet. "You can call me Clover doll," she said to Sunny then turned to Arc "And you can call me _anything_ my dear boy," she said in a playful tone. _What?!_ was all Arc could think at that remark.

"Well... for what it's worth, despite the earlier altercation, It's nice to know a little about you guys." Sunny spoke still somewhat nervous.

For another silent eerie moment, no one spoke. Between the panting breaths of Cheyenne and Dogmeat and the smell of smoke in the air, they felt a little uncomfortable. Arc had decided to clear the air first.

"The name is Arc," He pointed at himself as everyone now looked towards him, well except for Charon of course and Karma just merely glaring at him "I'm here because of these people in town, they... they saved my hide. So when I came to and was able move about I found you," pointing at Karma "...Well actually more like you 'flew' into me and that's were the hole situation escalated after I took out Cobb. I know it seemed like a foolish move, but I figured it was a good way to help out and to repay my debt to them." to which Arc then nodded his head towards Sunny which she returned herself but with a more somber look.

"I would've had it under control if the farmhand didn't try to move." Karma said looking at the ground. She ran her hand through her hair and then started walking off.

"Were to now?" Charon asked her as Dogmeat walked behind her.

"I need a drink."

"Well, I'm coming with, because I don't want to pulling off another ditch move again." Charon told her as he then soon after Clover and Fawkes followed behind.

Arc and Sunny stood in silence, with the company of C0heyenne as well. The only reason Arc didn't bring up the whole ordeal with Ringo was the reactions of her friends. He didn't have a clue as to if they knew Ringo and what she was able to do, but he keep his lips sealed not wanting to get into a scuffle in his current state. Not that he could do so anyway.

"I'm... I'm gonna go ahead and head back to the Saloon as well... need anything, just let me know. Its the least I can do." Sunny told Arc.

"Yeah alright."

Sunny called Cheyenne after her and started to walk out herself.

"There is one thing, that's if you don't mind of course," She stopped and looked back at Arc as he slide down against the wall making himself as comfortable as he could, since the bed that was in the place was currently covered in dry blood and dirt. "I'm going to stay here," he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Would you mind bringing back a couple of those drinks? Kinda feeling, out of it at the moment." Sunny couldn't help but smile a little at the small request he asked for to do.

"Sure, that's no problem at all." she replied and with that she too went ahead and left out of the place, leaving Arc alone to himself.

* * *

**Location - Mojave Desert  
**

**Time - Sunset**

**Town - Primm**

"No! please... I'll, I'll do anything you ask, just don't hurt my wife!" Yelled a man battered, bruised, bleeding on his face and body hogtied to a mattress.

Laughter filled inside of the small shack. "Oh!? you'll do Anything huh?!" said a wild looking man wearing a blue over coat labeled with _**'NCRF****'**_ on the back of the coat.

Another group of powder gangers had branched off from the prison like Cobb's group and stopped near Goodsprings. This group didn't seem to want to go at a town that seemed to be worth no value of their time to them so the went south of the town and spotted Primm, but the couldn't get in during the day due to the small NCR patrol they had so they waited until it was near sunset.

"Yes! I'll promise I'll do anything you guys want, just please don't hurt her anymore, I beg you!" the man pleaded, as his wife was held by a bigger man. She was bruised and beaten as well, and her clothes were torn off her, for their _entertainment._ She couldn't do anything about it either as they used her. The bulkier guy holding her lifted her up and threw her on the bed next to her husband.

Then a skinner man who wore blue jeans, sported tattoos all over him and had the same wild look as the rest of them, jumped on the bed and in hand he held a machete. The man in coat with the rough beard then walked around to the other side of the bed were the tearing husband was laying. He grabbed his head and forced the man to look at him.

"Alright sheriff, I have one thing of you to ask... Don't blink!" he cackled as he turned the sheriff's head towards his wife.

The skinner man lifted the woman's head and his machete then swung down on her neck.

_**-SCHLINK!-**_

The sheriff was too shocked and stunned by what had just transpired that he didn't even feel his own head being lifted as well as all he saw was her body go limp and her head go up... The leader of the group looked down at him and smiled wickedly "Glad to know you listen." He said as he patted his head and nodded at the his goon.

_**-SCHLINK!-**_

"Now... Lets take this town boys!" He shouted as the tattooed man held their chopped heads up high in the air. Soon after a group of cheers and jeers filled the air.

* * *

**~Please I ask of you to leave a review because I DESPERATELY want to here some feedback on how this is going so far, I don't want to keep writing if I'm giving, but not receiving. . . . . -_-" get your mind out of the damn gutter you know what I meant.**

**So please I ask, let me hear from you beautiful people, hell even if it's just a simple praise, please give me something. Thank you and Good Day!~  
**


	8. Update

Hello, Readers! Now if your wonder why there hasn't been any updates lately, well it's due to the fact that my computer got destroyed in the transtion process of moving to my new place, and it sucks cause I can do anything without it, but luckily my 1TB hard-drive was saved :), so my work is not gone it's just unaccessible at this moment, but fret not it won't be long, I'll have my new computer and the new chapters up soon, so as soon as that happens this update will be removed and this story and my other one will go on! Like I said I will keep the chapter upkeep up, and on that Note, GOOD DAY!

P.S. - Fallout 4 and Gears of War 4 XD


End file.
